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Slant Six Games is removing its strategy title Galactic Reign from the Windows Store, with a view to closing down its servers entirely by the end of the year.

The decision was announced on the Xbox forums, and was greeted by a number of angry and disappointed reactions - not least because Galactic Reign was only launched in March this year. The game will no longer be on sale through the Windows Store effective August 15.

"The forums will remain available until the end of the year, so that players can still communicate and exchange contacts. We will also continue support the Facebook and Twitter channels from now until server closure," the statement read.

"We are proud of the game we created and are thankful to our passionate community. We hope you have gotten many hours of enjoyment out Galactic Reign and will continue to do so until the end of this year."

The relatively small passage of time between Galactic Reign's launch and its impending closure raises questions over the situation at Slant Six.

The Vancouver-based studio was in the midst of a transition from console to mobile development, leading to an unspecified number of "temporary layoffs" in April. It was the third round of such layoffs in three years: the first following the release of SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 on the PSP, the second following the release of Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City.

In the latter case, around 96 employees were made redundant, with a limited number re-hired at a later date.

Now, a report on Eurogamer is suggesting that the studio may have closed for good, based on a tweet in late June from fellow Vancouver developer Firebase Industries, which stated, "Sad to hear that Slant 6 closed their doors." Eurogamer also noted that activity on the studio's social media channels has all but stopped.

Gamesindustry International has contacted Slant Six Games for comment.

It should be clarified that Slant Six was not the main developer on Galactic Reign. They only handled the space battle videos, which are the least consequential part of the game (though possibly the main reason Microsoft is shutting the game down).

Here's an interview about Galactic Reign with Slant Six from earlier this year.